Friday, February 26, 2016

BBC World Service has this fabulous interview with Jessica Cox, a 33-year-old Arizona woman who is the world's first licensed pilot with no arms. She talks about "feeling lighter, freer and more empowered than I'd ever felt in my whole life" the first day of Grade 8, when she left the prosthetic arms she'd worn for 11 years at home. "It was my statement of independence and my statement of authenticity. My feet were more efficient and faster."Jessica said her prosthetics were "hot, heavy and cumbersome, and weighed close to 10 lbs." In addition to flying, Jessica also drives, plays the piano and has her black belt in Tae Kwon Do. "I use my feet the way other people use their hands."

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